Fifty years ago, on December 24, 1967, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his Christmas Sermon on Peace and Nonviolence from Ebenezer Baptist Church at Atlanta, Georgia. As I reflect on the tragic events of this week, there no words that I can imagine more powerful or prophetic than these:

“All life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.”

He continued later in that speech with these words:

“I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate, myself…and every time I see it, I say to myself, hate is too great a burden to bear. Somehow, we must be able to stand up before our most bitter opponent and say: “We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force.”

Sometimes—and maybe especially after the most tragic of events, we need to know that people can come together in harmony. Even when it feels no such thing is possible in our world. Sometimes, we need to see that love and kindness and pure joy can happen without interruption, or fear of hate. For when we find ourselves working in harmony, kindness—just like the most beautiful of melodies—can reverberate throughout the world.

This week I preempt my regular blog post to share a short video sent to me by my great friend and mentor Bill Milliken. Please watch it in a place where you’ll be able to hear it. And sink into the music.

“Be steady and well-ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.”

French novelist and author of Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert wrote this line[1] in an 1825 correspondence to Gertrude Tennant. Flaubert was known for his style and aesthetics—and his attention to the fine detail shows up often in his life’s work.

This notion of orderly focus has been on my mind in recent weeks as we’ve been guiding several clients through a range of organizational transitions. In each project I’m reminded that focus is hard for many organizations to achieve—especially when everything feels to be changing around them.

Whether shifting directions in a strategic plan, or revisiting the words used to define your organization’s core beliefs, no greatness can come from a shaky or unorderly process. But with a little muscle memory, focusing your organization’s words, actions, and future can be much more manageable.

So, this week’s blog is devoted to some of my favorite tips for keeping order, even in times of transition:

On focusing your words: The words we use to define our mission, vision and everyday value have a major impact in getting someone to understand what we’re saying. Spend less time talking around an issue or peppering your language with too much technical-speak and force yourself to get to the heart of what really matters. Then, ask a handful of people one step removed from your daily work how they would describe your product, service, or issue. You’ll likely find those answers contain some of the most authentic elements of your mission: the kinds of words that have been right in front of you, but got buried in complexity somewhere along the way. Also, pay attention to the vehicles you’re using to distribute your messages. By simplifying or reducing the number of communications tools you’re using, you can focus more intently on how well you’re using them and your messages will have a better chance of sticking.

On focusing your actions: If you’re in the camp of always wondering “Why are we doing this?” and the answer isn’t easily produced, it’s probably time for a good assessment of your organizational priorities. Are organizational goals clear, and does each team have sub-goals and objectives that line up with the big picture? Do individuals, especially in more junior positions, understand how their daily activities connect back to the bigger picture? If you—or they— can’t answer those questions, your organization is likely losing a lot of time and efficiency. Focus first on ensuring that the entire team understands this year’s priorities (before you dive right into this week’s priorities) and you’ll see your organizational focus skyrocket.

On focusing on the future: The assumption most of us make is that if we have well-ordered and organized days, we’re likely to be productive. But we’ve found that in routine, the power of originality can be lost in the mundane. Try introducing short, unexpected and creative activities into your work week that intentionally change the routine—a lunchtime walk through a new part of town, a mid-day drawing or coloring session, an afternoon exercise class— anything that can clear your mind and give you a fresh perspective on the day’s work. We’ve found that it works every time to restore a sense of focus that translates well into fresh thinking.

Achieving the kind of steadiness that Flaubert referenced is not easy, but creating a path to fierce originality is well worth it. While strategic direction will likely be guided from the top, everyone can play a role in advancing an organization’s future. And with a renewed sense of focus, you’ll feel confident knowing that each task you take on today is getting you closer to that ultimate goal.

[1] Other translations of Flaubert’s quote include: “Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”

Think about the last request you made of someone that went unanswered. Maybe it was to a colleague, a potential funder, or a journalist.

Why do you think they didn’t respond?

Maybe the request came in at a bad time. Maybe it was communicated on the wrong platform, buried in an inbox, left on a voicemail that’s rarely checked, or lost in LinkedIn messaging. Or, maybe the message itself was just plain off. Not relevant. Not interesting. Not understood.

According to a recent survey of nonprofit communicators, more than 7 out of 10 nonprofits describe their messaging as feeling “off target,” but those same communicators are at a loss for how to adjust their messages for increased “stickiness.”

The good news is that those who are getting regular (and positive) responses from their requests all have three little things in common with their messaging: they are real, they’re relatable, and they’re repeatable. Great communicators can articulate their requests in such a way that others embrace them freely and actually feel compelled to provide support.

So, where do most communicators go wrong? They bury their own headlines. They bury their why – the reason that this message matters to the reader, and the reason it matters now. Instead of articulating that ask right up front, they bury it in paragraph after paragraph of conversation and copy, rather than simply inverting that conversation and leading with their most important point. By the time the ask is made, the reader is almost always long gone.

What we’ve learned in the last several years of watching how people communicate is that there are three kinds of messages that spur action. And when used in tandem, the power of this message trifecta truly comes to life:

1. Make it Real

If you want someone to do something for you, you’ve got to give it to them straight. That means in plain language. Put the technical speak aside, and speak to your audience as you would speak to a friend. Some individuals believe that the more complex their message, the more impressive. But just the opposite is true. The simpler you can make your messages, the more compelling it will be.

2. Make it Relevant

After 20 years of pitching stories to the media, I’ve gotten pretty used to hearing, “but tell me why THIS story matters.” What’s different about this ask, and why should your audience care? Relevant messages are those that people hold on to; they’re the kind of messages that tap into people’s heads and hearts simultaneously. Relevance is also a vital door opener to any ask, so be sure to show that you’re in sync with what’s happening in the world of your audience, and that you understand where you fit in to their agenda. Do this well, and you’ll find your audience turning into your best advocates and allies.

3. Make it Repeatable

Feed your audience a good story that proves why they should care. Stories help people who are less familiar with your work understand its impact, but they also provide a ready-made vehicle to get others talking. Tell a story that can help to bring the importance of your ask to life, and you’re much more likely to make someone remember it and then repeat it to someone else.

So, to get your next big ask to stick, ask yourself the following before you hit send:

Is it real? Are my words simple and understandable?

Is it relevant? Have I made it clear why I’m asking now, and what kind of impact this support could make?

Is it repeatable? Have I done a good enough job proving myself? Have I included a story or anecdote that reinforces my point in a compelling way?

Nail this messaging trifecta and know that your chances of a positive reply are surely improved.

Looking for more communications tips? Sign up here to receive our next monthly newsletter where I’ll share the power of communicating with empathy—and the top ten ways you can do it better at work and in life.

This month, tens of thousands of organizations will start their strategic planning process for the year(s) to come. And according to Inc. Magazine, more than 50% of those organizations will find the entire process futile. (Ouch.)

Some of the questions that lead to this strategy-on-a-shelf syndrome: “We built a plan that was too big for us”, “We didn’t take into account the true capacity of our team” or “We didn’t spend enough time thinking about why we do this work or for whom we’re doing it.”

Here at Mission Partners, we’re currently counseling a number of organizations through the process, all from their own unique positions. There are some organizations planning for the launch of new products, some experiencing leadership transitions, and others working to redefining who they are, in order to better get at how they deliver on their promise. The request in all cases is nearly identical: “Help us get from here to there.”

As we guide each organization through the strategic planning process over the coming months, making sure they ultimately have a strategy that sticks (our promise), we’ll ask a whole series of probing questions, some of which we share here in case you’re entering the season of strategic planning, too:

What Are We Solving For? Can you answer this one in a way that would compel your customers to act? Don’t shortchange the process of understanding and articulating why your organization matters, and what it’s working to achieve. As much as you think someone will support your cause, join your group, or sign up for your new course because you’ve got a great idea, you must be prepared with proof that your idea is a real and relevant one. (And that means wrestling with how you’re measuring your impact on the issue too.)

What Do We Stand For? Surprisingly, most people have a much easier time answering “what are you against?” even though the answer to the first question is at the heart of your organization’s purpose and values. Once the answer is identified, and consensus among the team is reached, other business decisions start to fall more naturally into place.

Who’s Our Most Important Customer? One of Peter Drucker’s signature questions. As Drucker saw it, you’ve got primary customers (those whose life is changed because of your work) and secondary customers (those who must be satisfied for your organization to achieve results.) If you want your plan to stick, take the time to understand your customer base, and build a plan from their point of view. And never, never underestimate the importance of engaging your end user in the planning process before you even think about plotting strategy.

Where Do Others See Our Value? Do you know what your primary customer would say if you asked them to define your value? Strategic planning can’t happen in a vacuum, regardless of how well you think you know answers to the questions above. Talk with enough people at least one step removed from your organization to find out how they describe your organization and its impact, and to uncover possible weaknesses or threats in your model. You’ll likely find that their answers contain some of the most crisp and compelling elements of your work, in a way that only an outside perspective can see.

As my great friend Cristin Dorgelo likes to say, “if you don’t have a target, you’ll miss it every time.” Strategic planning requires a fierce commitment to focus, and a collective understanding and commitment to the end goal. Start there–at the end of the process–and figuring out where you go from here will become much easier.

Looking for help with your strategic planning process? Email me at carrie@mission.partners to learn more about our strategic planning and facilitation services.

This holiday season, as we celebrate the first anniversary of Mission Partners, we are thankful for you and for your partnership in moving missions forward for the benefit of our communities, our nation, and our world.

2017 was as promising as it was challenging. As our nation grappled with issues of access and opportunity, our work was bound together by a common theme: a commitment to providing an equitable future for all. To that end, here’s a snapshot of our year:

We developed bold new strategic plans for nonprofits, foundations and socially responsible businesses who committed to increase their impact.

We built fresh, new narratives that lead with strength and simplicity—and are based on insights gleaned through research—about workforce development, higher education, healthcare, housing, philanthropy, and public media.

We helped to mobilize a DC community for collective impact, in order to preserve its neighborhood and provide opportunity for all residents to remain and thrive, even under the immense pressures of gentrification.

We led and facilitated Board meetings and community convenings—across the country and across sectors—that challenged long-held ways of working, and identified new solutions.

We hosted and facilitated salon dinners, community events, and working groups to drive changes in our systems, including philanthropy and the workplace.

We designed creative campaigns that presented the impact of established organizations in new ways, driving increased community impact and engagement.

We recommitted ourselves to equity, inclusion, and identity in our practice with clients and in our own learning by participating in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Training with CommonHealth ACTION, and doubled down on our commitment by partnering with CommonHealth ACTION to bring this life-changing experience to our network. As a direct result of the training, Mission Partners will launch an Equity Advisory Board in 2018. We look forward to sharing more details in the new year.

Through it all, we’ve realized that the work we’re doing at Mission Partners has never felt more fulfilling, or more urgent.

As a woman-owned and women-led organization, our mission is to advance issues and causes that result in an equitable future for all. And, as we reflect on this first year at Mission Partners and look forward to where we’re going, we realize that to truly advance issues of equity, we must address and learn from our roots, and then intentionally change behavior. It’s how we invest in today, as organizational leaders, that can affect our ability to create a more equitable future.

For this reason, we will soon launch the Mission Forward Leaders Exchange, a new series of cohort-based learning groups that will drive purpose-driven leaders like you through a year of skills-building, reflection, critical thinking, and “visioneering” for the future. Each exchange will welcome up to 12 people per cohort to convene on critical topics that are reflective of our shared responsibilities as leaders, and will be facilitated by my partner, Carolyn Berkowitz, and me. More details will follow in January, but if you are interested in learning more, please email me at carrie@mission.partners for advance access to registration materials.

As you reflect on your own experiences in 2017, and recommit to being an agent of change in the coming year, we hope you’ll consider joining us in 2018 to transform your good intentions into great impact.

Charnice Milton was a young community reporter working for the Capital Community News in Washington, DC. On May 27, 2015, she was on her way home from covering a story in D.C.’s Ward 8, when she was killed at her bus stop by a random drive-by shooter. Her case remains unsolved.

Charnice’s death hit me hard. I had met her for the first time just weeks prior, when she and I had been working on a story together about new development coming to Ward 8. In that first phone call, it was impossible not to be inspired by her commitment to overcome challenges and cover the good stories of Ward 8, despite the violence that permeated her local news.

And then she was gone.

I think about Charnice often. I think of her parents, her neighborhood, and of the world of good she brought to her profession. Motivated by what happened to Charnice, and inspired by her life’s passion, my husband Brian and decided that the “tugging feeling at our hearts” was too important to let go. So, in late 2015, we seeded and launched the World of Good Fund, housed at the Greater Washington Community Foundation. We have made a family commitment to personally grow the fund, while inviting and allowing others to contribute to it as they see fit. It is also our family’s main philanthropic vehicle through which we invest back into our community, while serving as a tool to engage our daughters in conversations of philanthropy, equity and community.

Brian and I believe that one doesn’t have to change the world to do a world of good and that sometimes small, focused projects can have long-lasting positive effect. So while sometimes it might feel as if there’s not nearly enough good in this world, we know that good is all around us, if we’re open to it.

If you share our belief, we’d welcome your involvement in the World of GoodFund. This holiday season, we’re on a mission to elevate and amplify stories of good. And we are willing to put some dollars down to make it happen. This month, for every person who shares their #holidaymission on Twitter, Mission Partners will put a dollar into the World of Good Fund, up to $1,000. Help us share and spread the good this year. A little bit of that could go a long way.

http://mission.partners/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/people-2605835_1920.jpg12801920Carrie Foxhttp://mission.partners/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/mp-logo-dark-300x107.pngCarrie Fox2017-11-30 22:06:002017-12-01 10:39:38A World of Good

When we moved into our office space at 7201 Wisconsin Avenue, the very first thing I did was have a quote painted on the wall right outside of my office:

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

I have read those words, from Nelson Mandela, nearly every weekday morning since 2014, just as I step into my office to start the work day. It’s my constant and intentional reminder of the power and influence that good communication can have, especially when the pace of life can make real connections feel hard to come by or—in the case of this year—when the state of our national discourse feels too much to bear. But there’s something in those words that always brings me back to what I firmly believe, and to why I do the work that I do.

I believe that communications can change the world. I believe that when people connect with one another—often across whatever divides us—real, positive and lasting change happens. Whether it is advancing a critical piece of legislation, inspiring a movement, educating young students, or building bridges between cultural divides, positive change happens through communication.

But belief, while an important ingredient, is only half of the equation. One most act on those beliefs in order to realize their magnitude, which reminds me of another guiding quote, this one from Mahatma Gandhi:

As I prepare to enter my 14th year in business, and our first anniversary under the new umbrella of Mission Partners, I can honestly say that entering every day with my core belief top of mind has allowed us as a company to lead with purpose. And leading with purpose has allowed us to build a company beyond belief: a company that drives every decision with heart and head—a company that can say ‘what we do, for the good of others,” without even a second of pause. A company that goes further to get at the heart of our work, and sticks with that work until big breakthroughs are realized, because our heart’s in it too.

In this season of gratitude, I simply pause to give thanks for the people who drive me, the organizations that inspire me, and the daily routine that has become my “work.” It is, truly, beyond belief.

20 years ago last week, five living Presidents and Nancy Reagan were gathered together in Philadelphia at an event called the President’s Summit for America’s Future, hosted by General Colin Powell, to make a promise to our children and youth. Leaders from all sectors and all 50 states, along with young people from hundreds of communities, committed to one another and the nation that together they would provide all youth access to the critical success factors that they needed to thrive: a life filled with caring adults; safe spaces to learn, play, and grow; health and wellness for the best start in life; skills for meaningful and prosperous employment; and opportunities to share their gifts with others through service. They called these the “Five Promises,” and advancing them became the rallying cry for the America’s Promise Alliance.

I had a special seat at that Summit, even though I rarely had the chance to sit down while I was there. As a staff member of America’s Promise, I managed the logistics and much of the programming for the event. One of my fondest memories is of calling the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau to book the venue: “Hello, I’ll be bringing all the living Presidents to town for a Summit next year, and I’d like to reserve every hotel room in the city for 4 days.” There was silence on the other end of the line…then finally, “Who are you? Where are you calling from? Presidents of what?”

That was the start to a career defining experience for me, and it has since shaped every role in my professional life.

Last week, America’s Promise celebrated its 20th anniversary in New York City, an event that inspired us all to #Recommit2Kids. Led again by Colin and Alma Powell, the event featured President Clinton and a line-up of incredible speakers, young people, and performers who passionately made the case once again that we must help guide all of our nation’s children to a life of opportunity, fulfillment, prosperity, and contribution. This time I was a guest, and yes, I was glued to my seat the entire time.

It was heartening to see that America’s Promise has maintained its relevance for a new generation of young people, and even more gratifying to see how much has been accomplished since 1997. And yet, I found myself impatient and disappointed that we haven’t yet solved so many of the root problems that continue to plague or nation’s youth – especially those living in financial, social, or spiritual poverty.

“We know, in the quiet of conscience, that our children deserve better.

They deserve a life that rewards their dreams, a life of opportunity, unburdened by injustice. Equal opportunity is the defining promise of our country. It is a commitment that should unite right and left, rural and urban, rich and poor. Without equality of opportunity, economic differences harden through generations in a way that is inconsistent with our nation’s ideals.” Colin and Alma Powell

20 years later, I am still optimistic that we can expedite our progress because of the evolution of the conversation since 1997. Having participated in both events, it was evident to me that we’ve grown as a people to be more accepting, more inventive, and more precise. We’ve grown as a culture where inclusivity and equity are the expectations, and exclusion and inequity are called out for what they are. The quality of the dialogue is so much richer today than it was a generation ago in Philadelphia.

Consider these themes that resonated throughout the event:

Identity: Young people celebrated who they are, not what they’ve done. The amazing and talented IMPACT Rep Theater and City Kids loudly and proudly shared their truths with us in performance of song, dance, and poetry. They expressed their authentic identities in ways that wasn’t safe for them to do 20 years ago, and we, as adults in the audience, embraced them with love.

Data: Our embrace of data in the past 20 years has shed light on problems and the solutions that can be scaled for more effective intervention. For example, Nadine Burke Harris from the Center for Youth Wellness shared research on the biological consequences of the toxic stress that is caused by childhood adversity, including increased heart disease, depression, and other health risks for children that can carry into their adult years. Her solution is to ensure that educators and pediatricians know how to screen for and intervene in adverse childhood experiences, before they become biological aftermaths.

Equity: Nearly every speaker spoke to the need for universal equity for our children and youth. Not just equality; equity. Not just diversity; inclusion. And not about the bad choices that kids make, but about our failure as a society to provide all kids with sanctuary so they can survive and thrive. In 1997 we talked about equality, diversity, and dare I say, the blaming of parents. We know better now, and even though we have miles to go, I was inspired by the conversation and I believe that working together, we can achieve the equity that all kids deserve.

“In order to help children at risk, we have to be able to do things that are uncomfortable.” Bryan Stevenson

Reach: There were about 800 people in the room at the Marriott Marquis this week, but there were well over 1 million people following the live stream and social media conversation. As Alma Powell pointed out, this tremendous increase in reach is something that was not available to us in 1997. And since the event, the retweets and reposts have exponentially exposed people to the issues facing children and youth.

There is so much to be done for our kids and for our nation. We must never rest at the sight of injustice and inequity. While there are no excuses for failing to be true to the ideals we hold so dear, I see progress in the quality of the conversation and the solutions we’re advancing today. I have tremendous hope in the promise for America, and I am #Recommitted2Kids.

Win, Lose, or Draw… I don’t think any of us know what the Trump era will bring.

For companies, a Republican President and Majority signals a pro-business agenda for the next four years. But Trump’s populist approach is unpredictable, and many of his proposed or projected policies could create headwinds for businesses. As I write this, corporate executives in all industries are watching carefully, listening intently, and muddling through mixed messages to develop stances on a myriad of scenarios, as they wonder how his positions on trade, immigration, healthcare, and education (to name just a few) will impact their businesses. Workers and consumers are watching their employers and their brands closely, expecting an increased level of corporate responsibility to ensure community and national well-being. Between government policy and public sentiment, companies will face enormous pressure to “do good” in the months and years to come.

An active and engaged Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is one way that companies leap into the future. It’s often through CSR strategies that companies can develop, test, and implement solutions to societal problems that if solved, would improve business, address headwinds, and elevate communities around them.

With this in mind, here are a few of my predictions for CSR in the Trump era:

1. More companies will invest more resources in education and workforce development in order to attain the talent they need to be competitive.

Many of Trump’s discussed policies could affect the ability of US-based companies to prepare, attract and retain skilled workers. Almost every company, in every industry, will need to be in the business of building “homegrown talent” and will therefore increase their investments education and workforce development. Take just some of the stances reflected in Trump’s inaugural address on Friday — Limiting H1b temporary work visas. Bringing manufacturing jobs back to US shores. Making major infrastructure investments to rebuild bridges, roads, rails and airports. Eliminating the Common Core curriculum in our public schools. If any one of these policies are enacted, much less all four, there will be immediate and intensive demand for many more skilled workers in communities all across the nation. Vacancies in high tech jobs that are already difficult to fill will skyrocket, and advanced manufacturing, engineering, and construction management jobs will demand that many more of our workers are STEM educated, trade certified, and digitally literate. The war for talent, and the deep need to upskill our workforce, are paramount.

As a result, there will be a marked increase in CSR investments that meet the specific needs of the changing labor market. We can expect companies to increase their investments in STEM education in K-12 and higher education, with a focus on women and minorities to broaden the pool. Community colleges and nonprofit workforce development programs that provide industry certifications will be in high demand, and companies will provide financial access to for those in the lower income brackets to grow the talent pool. Programs that teach soft skills, critical thinking skills, and problem solving like in the maker movement or youth entrepreneurship will attract CSR dollars and focus. Finally, more companies will work to upskill their current workforce instead of hiring trained employees from the outside.

2. Companies will do more to keep their employees, and their customers, healthy.

Regardless of the outcome of the Affordable Care Act or programs that may replace it, companies are anticipating that healthcare costs will increase, and it is therefore more important than ever to keep their employees healthy. They also know that every dollar that their customers spend on healthcare and insurance is a dollar not be spent on their products or services. While this trend is not new, we can expect many more bold announcements in the next 12-18 months from companies committing to their employees’ and communities’ health and well-being.

What were once perks for employees only in Fortune 500 companies will now become mainstream, like private gyms and on-site medical care. Employee bonuses and incentives for healthy behaviors and preventative care will become common place. Medical screening and community-based health fairs will be offered locally by companies who are not in the health care sector. Finally, housing, education, and human services organizations will be asked to integrate the provision of health care into their existing programming, and will be provided with increased corporate funding to do so.

3. Companies will go above and beyond regulatory obligations and take public stands on social issues, because millennial workers and consumers will hold them accountable for their corporate citizenship record.

In its 2016 study on Business and Politics, Global Strategy Group found that 81% of Americans believe that corporations should take action to address important issues facing society, and 88% believe that corporations have the power to influence social change. Further, 88% of millennials want to work for companies whose values reflect their own values, and taking a public stance on issues like pay equality, LGBTQ rights, and other human rights drives net-net brand favorability.

For example, we recently saw brands who came out in opposition to North Carolina’s “bathroom law” gain favorability across industries. We’ve seen very public boycotts of companies whose stands are more regressive, like Hobby Lobby. And while regulations in areas including environmental sustainability, community development, or safety may loosen as a result of the Republican wave, companies who retreat from their commitments in these areas face swift and painful consumer backlash. Corporate social stances may not have much influence in Washington over the next four years, but they will have influence everywhere else — more companies will take a stand and communicate their positions on social issues, and they will be rewarded on their balance sheet for doing so.

4. Collective impact, increased collaboration, and new methodologies will continue to gain favor and drive the CSR agenda forward.

The days of making an impact as a sole player in a hierarchical organization are over. No individual program can solve the complexity of problems or attract enough attention to make a dent in societal issues or public sentiment. There is too much noise on social media, too much competition for CSR talent, and too many stakeholders in any single issue for one company to act a lone ranger. Like politics before it, the discipline of CSR requires deep and meaningful partnerships with a range of stakeholders, sometimes odd bedfellows. Further, CSR initiatives can no longer be led inside by just Government Affairs, Public Relations, Community Relations, Human Resources or Marketing teams, but must align and integrate all of these functions in order to have the desired impact. In short, CSR methodology must be revolutionized in order to really address the issues just ahead on the horizon.

Externally, corporate responsibility will continue to shift from individual impact to collective impact, and the collection of partners for any one initiative will expand. The most powerful and enterprising initiatives will include participation from companies from across industries, foundations, nonprofits, government, associations, and the public, partnering to influence opinions, demonstrate impact, and change lives. CSR and nonprofit programming will adopt new ways of thinking and problem solving – borrowing techniques that drive industry innovation like Design Thinking and Lean principles. Old cultural norms that shackle innovation in various fields – large foundations, institutes of higher education, traditional nonprofits, or corporate hierarchies – will be challenged, modernized, and democratized. Because our work is grounded in a vision for the future state of society, CSR professionals will find ourselves leading the pack to integrate partnerships that create collective impact.

So, Win, Lose, or Draw, corporate responsibility is more important than ever, and its impact has the potential to go further for our society than ever before.

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What Clients Are Saying

“With Mission Partners, I feel like I am part of the team, and they’re definitely part of mine. I get to learn from them every day, and they appreciate learning from me in order to do their job well. Really, I feel like I am part of a family.”

Executive Director, Donor Experience

National Public Radio

“Carrie has a great sense for how to teach people. She doesn’t stop at developing messaging, but she shows people how to use it.”

Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement and Chief of Staff

Greater Washington Community Foundation

“Carrie and Carolyn are a brilliant match. They bring their respective strengths together for good and the marrying of their two skill sets under one roof allows for a truly unique perspective.”

Vice President, Philanthropic Engagement and Chief of Staff

Greater Washington Community Foundation

“Mission Partners has a certain stick-to-itiveness that I really appreciate. Keeping us on track, getting what you need, holding us accountable. It’s not easy to do, but Mission Partners does this flawlessly.”

Vice President of Communications

National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

“Mission Partners employs a degree of thoughtfulness and intellectual investment that exceeds my typical experience with other consultants.”

Executive Director

Jubilee Housing

“Carolyn and her team were fantastic. Mission Partners has a wealth of knowledge around corporate social responsibility, best practices for companies working with non-profits, and for banks, especially, around the Community Reinvestment Act. In addition, they had great ideas for creating and rolling out volunteer and board service programs that we can efficiently implement. We would definitely recommend working with Mission Partners!”

Director of Community Engagement

Union Bank and Trust

“Together, Carrie and Carolyn bring a powerful combination of disciplined expertise and creative problem-solving to any organization seeking to achieve its full potential.”

President and CEO

Washington Area Women’s Foundation

“Mission Partners has been an amazing partner… great listeners and brilliant strategists. They took the time to get to know our programs and our strategic objectives, and they created opportunities for us that perfectly fit with our goals and that we never could have made happen on our own. Carrie and her team are geniuses at leveraging modest investments for maximum returns. They are among the most genuine, friendly, and conscientious professionals we’ve worked with in our twenty-two year existence.”

Founders and Co-Executive Directors

The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts

“It was refreshing to watch how you were able to take all of our ideas, and organize them into a unified vision. When Mission Partners [was recommend to] me, frankly I didn’t know what to expect…. But after seeing you guys in action, we would be lost without you.”